Scientists in Galway have found a way of reducing relapses in one of the most aggressive cancers

Scientists at NUI Galway have found a new treatment which may help reduce relapse rates in patients with triple negative breast cancer.

This form of breast cancer is one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat, as there are no targeted therapies currently available.

Dr Susan Logue from NUI Galway outlined what the new treatment can do.

File photo of NUI Galway.

She said: "We discovered that triple negative breast cancer cells switch on a particular protein that helps them survive chemotherapy and if we switch this protein off then the chemotherapy is much more effective.

"So the significance of this exciting research is that we have discovered a new approach that reduces treatment and reduces relapse in models of triple negative breast cancer."

This form of the disease accounts for around 15% of all breast cancers diagnosed and occurs more frequently in younger women.

Dr Logue said: "For so long there has been no targetted treatment available for people with triple negative breast cancer and we now have a target that looks really promising in the lab.

"If this holds true in clinical trials, it will mean better treatment, improved survival and less relapse for triple negative breast cancer patients."

The treatment trial saw participants go from allergic reactions such as immediate vomiting, swelling of the throat, blisters on tongue and stomach pain to being able to safely ingest up to four peanuts.

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